Wilson slips, Eli rises in QB ranks

The Big Board sees major moves as Jaws updates his ranks at midseason

AP Photo/Evan PinkusEli Manning has rebounded after a tough start, but how far has he risen in Jaws' rankings?

We've reached the midway point of the 2013 season, and heading into Week 9 my quarterback rankings have been scrambled up. While the top remains fairly static, seven new signal-callers are on the Big Board since my quarter-season update. That's a record since I've been maintaining a season-long ranking of the NFL's quarterbacks.

To that end, the names at the bottom of the board almost unanimously carry "incomplete" marks into their Big Board debuts. While most don't figure to be long-term answers as starters in the National Football League, they'll now get a chance to show what they've got. Maybe they'll even stick around for the post-Week 12 update and we'll be able to slot them more clearly in the rankings.

In the meantime, we start with our quarterly look at the NFL's starting QBs, leading with the -- thankfully -- stable cream of the crop.

Jaworski's QB Rankings

#18 QB
Denver Broncos

I previously addressed the arm-strength issue, but to reiterate, I have no concerns. I am eager to see how the Broncos can keep Manning protected against the Chiefs.

One less-celebrated note about Manning's 2013 season: His second-half adjustments have been stellar. To date, both his yards per attempt (9.1 versus 8.4) and completion percentage (73.1 versus 69.0) have been higher after halftime. Diagnose and adapt, that's Peyton Manning in a nutshell. Oh, and don't look now, but he is just off the pace for a 6,000-yard passing season. That would break the single-season passing record by more than 500 yards. No big deal for Peyton.

Ron Jaworski is one of the most popular and knowledgeable analysts covering the NFL today. Since joining ESPN in 1990, the former standout NFL quarterback has covered the league from virtually every angle -- sideline reporter, game-site reporter, host and both studio and game analyst. From 2007-11, Jaworski occupied one of the most coveted positions in sports as a Monday Night Football analyst.

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